Salem Falls

Bibliographic Information: Picoult, J. (2001). Salem falls. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN: 9780743418706

Plot Summary: Jack St. Bride pulls in to Salem Falls in hopes of a fresh start.  He just got out of an eight-month prison stint after a false accusation from a teenage girl at the private school he taught.  Embarrassed, jobless, and alone, he lands a job at the local diner run by Addie Peabody.  As they begin a romantic relationship, Jack must register as a sex offender at the police station, and soon, everyone in town knows about his past.  The town quickly makes their distrust of him known, but four girls from the local school, Gillian, Meg, Chelsea, and Whitney take interest in Jack.  One evening while intoxicated, Jack makes his way home through the woods, and he stumbles upon the girls celebrating their Wiccan holiday Beltran.  Gillian and the girls accuse Jack of sexual assault, and once again, Jack finds himself at the center of a witch hunt.  His relationship with Addie is in shambles, and he is reliving his worst nightmare.

Critical Evaluation: One theme found in Salem Falls is that of persecution.  The title of the book is an allusion to the Salem witch trials of 1692, in which 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, and 20 were executed.  In Picoult’s story, the center of the witch hunt is Jack St. Bride, a former teacher accused of rape by a student.  Despite St. Bride’s innocence, he pled guilty and served time in prison.  Hoping for a fresh start he moved to Salem Falls, but it wasn’t long before his past became public knowledge.  He suffered persecution from various community members.  His biggest persecutor was Gillian, the daughter of the most successful businessman in Salem Falls, who accuses Jack of raping her. Now Jack is reliving one of his worst experiences.  Gillian and her three friends actually do practice witchcraft, and they go to great lengths to cover it up, of course to avoid persecution.  The parallel theme of persecution in Salem Falls and the Salem witch trials makes the story relatable to its readers.  

Reader’s Annotation: In 1692 a witch hunt took over Salem Village.  Now, over three hundred years later, Jack St. Bride is about to become the subject of another witch hunt.  

Information about the author: Jodi Picoult has a huge repertoire of successful novels- twenty three to be exact.  She studied creative writing at Princeton, received a master’s in Education from Harvard, and worked as a technical writer, copywriter, editor, and 8th grade English teacher.  

    Picoult has received numerous literary awards for her writing, four of her books have been made into television movies, and one, My Sister’s Keeper, was made into a full-length film released in 2009.  In 2012, Picoult released Between the Lines, her first YA novel co-written with her daughter, Samantha Van Leer (Picoult, n.d.).   

Genre:  Crossover Fiction

Curriculum Ties: English (literature)

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Jack McBride’s perspective.

2. Gillian’s perspective.

Reading level/Interest age: 15+

Challenge Issues: This novel contains some strong language, some sexuality, references to nudity, and Wiccan rituals.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this book:  I included this book because it is another best seller from the author Jodi Picoult.  It parallels themes from the Salem with trials, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Crucible.  

References:

Picoult, J. (n.d.). About Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoult. Retrieved 7 May 2013 from

    http://jodipicoult.com/JodiPicoult.html